Board games

Backgammon

Backgammon rules for beginners: board setup, dice moves, hitting and the bar, bearing off to win — with the 15 opening moves and key terms.

CATAN

Learn CATAN’s 2025 base-game rules for 3–4 players: setup, resource production, trading, building costs, the robber and how to reach 10 victory points.

Also known as Settlers of Catan

Checkers

American Checkers rules on an 8×8 board: setup, forward moves, compulsory captures, multiple jumps, crowning, when pieces can move backward and how to win.

Also known as English draughts, Draughts

Chess

Beginner chess rules: how to set up the board, how each piece moves, castling, en passant, promotion, checkmate and draws — one clear beginner page.

Connect 4

Classic Connect 4 rules: assemble and orient the vertical grid, take turns dropping discs, and make four horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

Also known as Connect Four, Four in a Row, Four-in-a-row

Go

Go rules for your first 9x9 game: stones on the board's intersections, liberties and capture, two passes to end, then scoring territory, prisoners and komi.

Also known as Baduk, Weiqi

Mancala (Kalah)

Kalah Mancala rules with four stones per pit: board setup, counterclockwise sowing, extra turns, opposite-pit captures, the end sweep and winning.

Also known as Kalah

Monopoly

Monopoly Classic rules: starting money, auctions, rent, jail, houses, mortgages and bankruptcy, with examples and house rules clearly separated.

Rummikub

Rummikub Classic rules: groups, runs, the 30-point initial meld, rearranging tiles, retrieving jokers, turn limits and scoring, with examples.

Scrabble

Scrabble US Classic rules: legal word placement, premium squares, blanks, exchanges, challenges, seven-tile bonuses and final scoring.